World Languages

The Lemont High School World Languages Department believes students should develop the following characteristics: 

• Ability to communicate in the target language in order to function in a variety of situations and for multiple purposes
• Make connections with other disciplines and acquire information and diverse perspectives in order to use the language to function in academic and career-related situations
• Acquire linguistic and cultural competencies in order to become effective global citizens

Courses offered within the World Languages curriculum offer students the opportunity to study American Sign Language, French and Spanish. Courses help students communicate and interact with cultural competence so that they can participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world. Students use the target language to investigate, explain and reflect on the nature of language through comparisons of the target language and their own. All courses offered by the World Languages Department are appropriate for college-bound students. 

Based on their abilities and course level, students shall be able to understand and communicate in the target language through: 

• Reading and understanding the main ideas of authentic texts, both fiction and nonfiction
• Listening to and interpreting authentic target language from a variety of sources
• Acquiring information through questioning and problem solving techniques
• Employing language functions to express descriptions, narratives and viewpoints 

Student grades are determined by their performance on language proficiency, examinations, and class participation. Students enrolled in third- or fourth-year courses have the option of enrolling for honors credit; those students enrolled in the highest level of a language may have the opportunity to earn Advanced Placement credit.